I could still remember my encounter with him at Jorjaine hotel at Oba ile road, Akure Ondo state where he stayed to monitor Ayo Fayose Governorship election in Ekiti in which he was one of the major financiers. His posture will always announced him which could be referred to that of Idi Amin of Uganda.
I saw a man that is always cautious of his movement apart from the cache of Nigerian police men that surrounded him always, he has these hefty men that looked like special breed Argentine horses whose look and facial expressions are just similar to that of the deadly Sergeant Rogers of the Abacha era.
When we sat to talk at the pool side of the hotel we were barely about to start the meeting when an uncontrollable crowd besieged the venue of our meeting seeking for help and which he must have given them appointments and he had to cut short our discussion and he gave me an appointment the following weekend at his Ijebu igbo country home, when i got to ijebu igbo his Palace is as popular as Ijebu igbo itself and after our meeting I realized how intelligent he is and a well equipped thinker strategically, bold and courageous as we talked extensively about his ‘omo ilu’ foundation.
Thou Senator Buruju may have a lot of unpalatable controversial stories particularly the drug scandal that incapacitated him within the country for decades as he couldn’t leave the shore of the country for the fear of interpol but he was one of the kindhearted Nigerians ever came out from the South Western Nigeria. This evident by the amount of people that cluster round his country home for one help or the other which he rendered at will.
Obasanjo goofed for his reckless comments about the dead and I’m bold to say that Buruji has impacted lives of many people in his short stay here with us than Ebora Owu that sees himself as a king who receives gifts from his subjects. Obasanjo has been collecting from Nigeria right from when he joined the military to date. Obasanjo can never part with his kobo except if it is the ‘national cake’ booty.
Neither Obasanjo nor the US knows the truth of the Eso Jinadu tale as the only person that knows the truth about it has gone to join his ancestors and so we should leave the story to rest in peace with the Ijebu Igbo philanthropist.
To me, you came, saw, helped and conquered but only bow to the Supreme price that is not avoidable for the living.
Olujimi Adekanle JAF, a Human Rights Activist and Public Affairs Analysts writes from Toronto, Canada.
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